Letter: Layoff a lesson in receiving, giving

I want to thank the members of the Cumberland community who helped my family survive 2009.

On March 3, my husband lost his job. The overwhelming stress and bitterness of this eventually gave way to many blessings. I have come home to a full freezer of donated food. A pile of donated wood was left in our driveway for our wood stove. My co-workers at School Administrative District 51 food service and the Cub Scout families of Cumberland (my husband is the cubmaster) brought us enough cash to buy Christmas presents for our children and more. The Congregational Church of Cumberland and Tuttle Road United Methodist Church provided gift cards and help with our mortgage.

All this has humbled me, especially the anonymous giving. We often received gift cards and cash in the mail anonymously. I cried when I opened the envelopes. I now ask myself, “Would I be humble enough to give anonymously?”

I am thrilled to report that my husband recently got a job. Our family has been carried through these hard times by the support of our family and community. When we are on our feet financially we will give to the churches’ outreach funds and to those in our community in need.

This hardship of being laid off has been a great lesson in giving and receiving.